Song of Crowns

Episode 12: Trickle

The night of the wedding was still as festive as I expected it to be. The crowned Prince Consort, Prince Adrian Alfonzo y Sarkis, is out in the den of people. He is trying his best to talk to the crowd and shake their hands as he swims through them.

Of course, I’d do the same as the Queen. However, my ankles started hurting that I asked Porschia to grab me something to ease the pain. Instead, Evos came to the rescue and handed me a bag of ice.

“You didn’t seem quite happy earlier, Evos. What seems to be the problem?” I ask, curious. Evos didn’t look at me and kept staring at the juice punch by the food counter. It was a delight that we have food to feast upon, although they’re mainly fish food.

Evos didn’t wait too long to reply. “I was just happy for you, my Queen.” He said.

“Liar.” I muttered. “Something’s bothering you.”

“Nothing that you should wonder, your Majesty. I was just swamped up with work that I didn’t hide it well a while ago. I didn’t think you’d look my way.” He says, monotone. “I promise to be in high spirits for you, Adie.” He whispers the last word as if the nickname is a secret.

“You should. You’ll be part of my advisers. I don’t want them to think you’re a cold-hearted person and not trust you.” I tell him while waiting for his expression to change. Instead, he just gives me a curious but stale look.

“Adviser? Since when did you plan for this?” He asked, ready to get away as Adrian starts to move in my direction.

“Not too long ago,” I say then turn to Adrian who is already across us. “Hello, Prince.”

“Hello, my Queen.” Adrian beams. Evos shows us a brief bow and heads out. I see him disappear in the flood of people. “What’s with Evos?”

I showed him the bag of ice. “He delivered this to me. It seems like he is stressed so I asked.”

“He sure is,” Adrian says, prepping himself to his seat beside me. The hall room is full of guests but anyone can distinguish our positions with just our chairs alone. I sit at the chair Senator Alfonzo once sat on when we talked about Adrian and me making babies. “He’s been cooped up himself with the Engineer team. They’re trying to open up other domes adjacent to this one.” He turns to me to give me a fork of fish meat. I accept it with my mouth open. “No luck, though.”

“Why is he not telling me these? Those are important details.” I wail. Adrian just laughs it off.

“He probably just wants you to focus on bigger things. Besides, we’re not overpopulated yet. He probably thinks this problem can be solved without you stressing over it.” Adrian pestered his fish for a while and stopped at the sight of his father approaching. His jolly expression turned to a stern one.

Alfonzo came to our table and had a small chat with his son. I keep to myself and mute them out of my mind. I think about why Evos kept this from me. Adrian might be right, though. Opening other domes is not an urgent matter. However, it feels like I am in the dark when it comes to technical things about the place I am ruling.

I take a mental note to ask Evos to tour me around his work area. I might have a better sense of what the HiveBerg really is with his guidance.

“Your Majesty,” Alfonzo snaps me back to reality. I turn to him with the smile that I can force to conjure. “Are you going to go through with what we arranged?”

If I can feel my forehead creasing and my lips losing their smile, I let it show. “Why are you concerned about that, Sir?”

“Nothing,” He says, sheepishly shows his grin. He’s taunting me. “I’m just excited to see the Royal Family.”

“Don’t worry about us, Father.” Adrian forces his father to turn to him, saving me from punching this old bag. “The Queen will be doing what she can for the people. Don’t provoke her anymore.”

“Alright, my daughter-in-law.” He says, hopping off the podium where we are and blending with the guests. I’m guessing he is already boasting about a future Prince or Princess after this day.

“I apologize for his behavior, your Majesty.” Adrian whispers under his smile. “My father is forceful but you have to believe me when I say he’s less anxious now. Before, he’d always force me to go talk to you and persuade you into marrying me.”

“I can see that.” I tell him, stabbing my fish with a knife.

---

That night, I paced through Adrian and I’s bedroom. More like his bedroom with the balcony outside and where we had our first kiss.

I am not troubled at what would happen tonight. In fact, I expect it. But what I’m not prepared for is letting Adrian see through me. See everything in me. I hate opening up to people I have to hate.

But I have to. Adrian is now my husband.

I sat helplessly at the end of the bed with only my robe on. I wait for Adrian to come out of the shower but instead, I only hear my own breathing. He can’t be taking too long to shower.

I stood and made my way to the door leading to the shower room and knocked loudly. “What’s taking you so long?”

I didn’t hear a reply. I press my good ear onto the door and hear soft whimpers. Someone is crying.

I open the door slightly ajar and peek into it with my head. I scan the room for any sign of life and see Adrian by the toilet seat, his hands on his face and crouched down. I quickly got inside and neared him.

“What happened? Are you alright?” I asked, kneeling down in front of him.

“My wound opened.” He mutters gesturing to his right side. My mouth gaped open when I saw it. The healed stitches broke open and a slight trickle of blood gushes out. “I’m sorry, your Majesty. I was too excited that I slipped and accidentally did this to myself.” He laughs to himself, although it’s too soft that it sounded like a cry for help.

“Stop calling me that. Just call me Adeline, for goodness’ sake. We’re already a couple.” I tell him as I guide him out the shower room with only his towel draped around his hips. “How did you magically slip yourself in the shower room?” I say, trying to hold my laugh in.

“I know it’s funny but you have to believe me.” He says, wiping his absent tears off his face. I have to mentally note down this look of his. It surely is different than when I saw him with a girl on top of him. That’s probably also why he didn’t move much in that scene. He didn’t want to open up his wound – wherever he got it. “If you have someone you liked for too long and it’s too good to be true to be even married to that person, you get all excited.”

Wow, he’s so dumb. I whisk away all the insulting thoughts in my head and patted his back to comfort him. The nearly dim room gives me all the courage not to be looking at his naked upper body.

“I never experienced that, I’m sorry.” I say with a snort. “But I’m flattered. However, we can’t continue with that gushing blood falling off your stitches.”

“I’m sorry for being weak, Adeline.” He mutters to himself, disappointed. “You’d probably prefer other men out there than me, a whimpering baby.”

“I don’t marry weak men,” I say with confidence. “Well, I don’t really have a choice but I married you so you have to keep up with the expectations I have for you. I know you’re not weak.”

He smiles as he lowers his hand. “I’m not really this vulnerable, you know.” He says, defending himself. I laugh. “It’s just that, even if this is an honor to be your Prince Consort, I feel very pressured too. I like you, but you have to know that I wasn’t born to be a royal person. I wasn’t even supposed to be born at all.” He lets out a stifled laugh, hiding the hurt he feels at the last line. “But I still like you. Heck, I might even be in love with you.”

I feel my cheeks burning with all these words thrown at me. I remember the time Evos told me that even if Adrian is healthy-looking, it took all of her mother to conceive him. But his thoughts of me covered those sad memories he must be suppressing for a long time now. He replaced those with words of admiration for me.

“I like you too.” I whisper. I don’t know why I said it, probably due to the heat of the moment. I wanted to give him a reply, but that was all I could conjure.

His head quickly frisked towards me. Even with the dark light, I can see his glimmering emerald eyes shining for me. I feel the drowning sensation once more and I wish I can stay in this moment forever. I wish I could look at his eyes forever.

His expression warms up and suddenly, his embarrassment from earlier’s fiasco was down the drain. He leans closer to my face and slowly, we both close our eyes for the impact that will happen when our lips touch. His lips linger on mine for quite some time and then I realize he was on top of me while my back is safely planted on his bed. I’ve kissed a couple of boys before and I knew that sometimes, kisses can just be kisses. But Adrian’s kisses are warm and gentle. They don’t invade me like I was scared it should. They’re very delicate to the point that I want to be the one to take charge and devour him. He parts his lips from mine and travels down my neck. I feel him slipping his hand inside my robe and touching my bare sides with his fingers. I hitch with the gesture and suddenly, I feel my hands reach for his chest.

I don’t know how many times I could replay this moment but I sure hope I stay here longer.

- End –